A Heartless Void Filled
by Awkwardpineapplechan
Summary: Aspiring witch Felicity Solas starts her freshman year of high school and meets the mysterious wizard Jayden Asterick. Little does she know that Jayden is literally heartless and has been for years. This is the story of how a cold and unfeeling warlock finds true love.
1. Chapter 1: An Accidental Meeting

**Author's note: this be my first fanfic, so please don't throw me down a set of concrete stairs just yet if you hate it! Also, this story is very loosely based on J.K. Rowling's short story on the Harry Potter universe "The Warlock's Hairy Heart". The only reason I am not putting it in the Harry Potter section is because I want some room for creativity without an angry mob of orthodox Harry Potter fans in the comment section telling me I'm not sticking to the original plot. So no pitchforks and torches please! Now, on with the story!**

** Chapter one: Accidental Meeting**

Darn, I never thought high school was this big! I'm going to have a hard time getting used to it. Just then, I hear the my least favorite sound in the world, that annoying school bell every school has to signal that it's class time.

Riiiiiiing!

I just realized that I didn't even pick up my class schedule yet, and I'm panicking to find the office. Full-on freak out mode sets in, and I sprint down the crowded hall after finding a sign pointing to the office around the corner. What I didn't notice was another student running towards me in the opposite direction. Crap, we're on a collision course! It's too late to move out of the way, and a split second later..

Wham!

I run right into what I now see is a boy who looks about my age with dirty blonde hair and a nearly inhuman shade of yellow eyes. Not in the white of the eyes where it points to sickness, but only in the iris where everyone's natural eye color is. He seems puzzled as he takes into account what just happened. What do I do now, what do I do?! I'm no social butterfly by any stretch of the imagination, and I just smacked into someone at full speed! I do the only thing I know to do in situations like these and scramble to help pick up his books and hand them back to him.

"Eh, here you go." I sheepishly mutter, then start frantically collecting my things as well.

"Umm...thanks" he says back. We both get up off the floor and hurriedly continue our original routes down the hall.

I finally get my schedule and go to my first period of the day, English. When I step into the room, I gasp and find that the boy I ran into that morning was in the same class as me, sitting in the back of the room with an open desk to the left of him. There are no other seats available but the one next to his. I sigh and put my stuff down in the aforementioned vacant seat.

"You're late." Says the bald guy at the front of the room sternly. He's in probably his post-mid life crisis years and I'm guessing is the teacher.

"Sorry, I forgot to pick up my schedule." I reply; which is the truth, after all.

At least it wasn't like the time in sixth grade where they told us to pick out a book in English and I got so absorbed in mine that I completely forgot to go back to my desk and accidentally spent the entire next class period reading on the floor next to the bookshelf. Nobody noticed me back there, and I didn't know I missed an entire period until it was too late. My parents thought I cut class on purpose and I was in so much trouble when I got home and they received a phone call from the school.

"So, I never got your name. What is it?" The mysterious boy next to me whispers while the teacher drones on.

"Felicity Solas. Sorry I bumped into you earlier, by the way." I respond.

"Apology accepted. My name is Jayden Asterick. Nice to meet you."

He had some sort of friendly-yet-cold tone to him. As if he was forcing himself to make friends, but hid it really well in a nonchalant way.

The whole class period was just recapping what we learned last year, so it was pretty easy. English was always a beloved subject of mine. Next class was gym. I took an outdoor route to the gym to get a quick breath of fresh air. On the way there, I spot a bird on the ground with what appeared to be an broken wing. Aw, the poor thing. I look around to see if anyone was watching and picked it up. I took the wooden hair stick with a crystal tip out of my hair and held it to the bird's wing. On the surface, it just looks like something to pin my hair up, but it's really my wand that I use to do magic with sometimes. I do a short healing spell and set the bird free. It flies away as if never injured at all.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" I turn around to face Jayden, who was apparently watching me just now. Dammit, I thought for sure no one was watching!

**Author's note: dun dun duuuuuun! Well, If you have any suggestions for the plot or any constructive criticism let me know! Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to pure-hearted1 for writing a dark love. Even though the idea for this fanfic had been incubating in my head for months, reading her story inspired me to finally get off my lazy ass and write it. Tell me what you think in the comments section below and tune in soon to read the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: confessions

**Author's note: heeeellllooo lovelies! Here's the next chapter, so enjoy!**

**Chapter two: confessions**

Crap, what do I do?! He caught me red-handed and there's nothing I can do now! He knows my secret! Putting a memory wipe spell on him would violate the magical law of free will and be considered black magic.

"Ummm...hi." I say nervously, but trying to act natural. Maybe he didn't see the whole thing and I still have a chance to escape. I dart away as fast as my legs could carry me. Feet don't fail me now! Just then, I feel his hand on my shoulder as he held me back.

"Where do you think you're going?" He says from behind.

"Umm..to class?" I say as an excuse.

Jayden's POV:

Well, this is interesting. I've never met another witch or wizard my age before. Either way, it would be nice to have a friend for a change. It's my freshman year, after all. It's a fresh start, so why not be a little more outgoing? Lately, the numbness inside I'm so used to has started to bug me sometimes. Maybe spending time with another person will help distract me from it.

Felicity's POV:

"Just wait a sec, I want to talk to you." He tells me. It's odd how he's so calm about this. It's like he has some sort of internal cool. Somehow the gentle way he grips my shoulder as if I'm fragile and valuable contradicts the way he acts. I stop in my tracks to turn around and there's silence for a brief while. What is he going to say to me next?

"Come see me during lunch. There's something I'd like to talk to you about. I'll be on the main patio." He says, then walks away. Something doesn't feel right. Normally, I would never go and talk to someone when asked right after they caught me casting a spell. But for some odd reason, I feel compelled to see him again. That's why after gym when lunch time rolls around, I go against what instinct tells me; I grab my lunch box and head out to the main patio. Sure enough, he was already sitting there at the smallest table that only had room for two people.

"Wow, you really came of your own free will. That's surprising." He says, sounding impressed.

"What is it you want to say? Just get to the point already!" The words came out harsher than I wanted them to.

"Please, sit down." He politely gestures to the bench across from him. I do as told and then start opening my lunch bag to fish out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bag of chips, and a pull-top Chef Boyardee can of ravioli accompanied by a plastic spoon. After getting my food ready to eat, he finally starts talking.

"So you practice magic too, eh?"

I then choke on my sandwich and it took a few seconds of hacking up a lung to be able to talk again. Man, I was NOT expecting that!

"You don't have to be shy about it. Your secret's safe with me." He smiles an innocent grin that I didn't even think he could pull off. "And I'm guessing that's your wand?" He points to the stick in my hair. I never leave home without it on me.

"Yes." I reluctantly reveal with a sigh. I guess if I have to spill some beans, might as well spill them all.

"Clever, you can hide it in plain sight and easily reach it." He remarks. "Here's mine." He pulls out a long oak wand from his boot.

"Wow." I marvel at the craftsmanship that probably went into making that.

"Anyway, the truth is that I've never had a friend before. Is it okay if we could be friends?" He innocently tilts his head to the side and flashes that charming grin again. Wow, that came out of nowhere. I could tell it took a lot of courage to say, though.

"You mean to tell me you've never had a friend before?" I feel a slight tug of guilt for being annoyed with him.

"Yep." He answers

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to be your friend." I admit. I never had many friends back in middle school, and the few ones I did have I haven't seen since last year. I mostly spend my free time alone.

"So, how do we do this 'friend' thing?"

"Well, I guess we could start by exchanging phone numbers?" I guess.

"Sounds viable."

We exchange phone numbers and go our separate ways for classes after lunch. We meet up again for science as the last period and that too was just reviews, reviews, reviews. I swear half the school year must me "relearning" what they think we forgot over the summer. For that class, I sat at the desk in front of him.

"Okay class." Announces the thin and wispy red head that is teaching us in science. "Look at the person in front of you starting from the very back of the classroom" Of course, Jayden is looking right at me since I'm in front of him and he's in the back row. "This person will be your lab partner for the rest of the year. From now on, there will be assigned seating and where you are now is where you will be for the rest of 9th grade." Hey, that's alright with me. At least I'm not paired up with the kid next to me who was picking his nose the entire time like nobody was watching. When I start packing up my things from the desk into my zip-up binder, Jayden passes a note from behind and closes my hand around it. "Don't open it up until you get home." He whispers into my ear, sending shivers into my spine. I nod and we split up to go to our lockers and go home.

**Author's note: and that concludes this chapter. This is my first time doing POV switch, so I hope I did okay! As you probably noticed by now, Witches and Wizards are a bit different in my story than in the Harry Potter books. They act just like normal people would, going to ordinary schools and loving junk food just as much as we do. Kind of like how people can have hobbies and still relate to people outside of that hobby. If you liked this fanfic so far, PLEASE give some feedback and support! Tell your friends, your cousins, your siblings, that creepy hobo who hangs out at the minimart, or anyone about this fanfic coz I really need to know if people will and are reading it. Until next time: bye guys!**


	3. Chapter 3: No Idea

**Author's note: getting interesting, huh? Anyway, here's the third chapter, hope you like it :) **

** chapter 3: no idea**

I arrive home and drop my backpack in its usual spot next to the door. I was thinking about what the note could have said the whole bus ride home. It was still clutched in my sweaty hand, right where Jayden had left it. I take a deep breath and unfold the blue sticky note slowly.

_Wanna hang out after school? If so, I'll be at Washington park. _

Wow. He made that big a deal out of hanging out after school. I guess he just doesn't know much on how to act socially. Anyway, since we didn't have any homework because it was the first day of school, I decide to go to the park and be social outside of school for once. The park was a couple blocks away from my house, so I just walk there.

Sure enough, Jayden is there as promised, sitting on the first bench I come across. He has his hands on the back of his head and appears to be sleeping. He looks so peaceful; almost like a kitten. I almost wish it could be like this forever as I stand there in silence. But like all such moments, they couldn't.

"You awake?" I ask. He slowly stirs and gets up from the bench, stretching in place for a couple seconds.

"I thought you'd never come." He turns his head toward me and smiles. Dammit, why is that smile so freaking attractive? It's like he does it with no effort.

"So what do you want to do now?" I inquire nervously.

"Take a walk, I guess?"

"Sure."

We casually stroll around the park for a while.

When we get close to a road, I see a dead squirrel in a bloody, massacred mess on the asphalt pavement. It breaks my heart seeing dead animals like that, or anything dead really. Without knowing I take on the sudden, grim expression that I always unconsciously have when I pass by something like that. In my head, I start praying for the dead animal that its poor soul will rest happily in Gaia's arms in the afterlife.

"What's wrong?" Jayden disturbs my thoughts by saying. He looks concerned.

"Nothing!" I try to cover up my previous emotions.

"It's okay, you can tell me anything. Friends are supposed to confide things to each other, aren't they?" He innocently states.

I sigh. Well, he's right after all. Jayden's never had a friend before, so he may think friends are always supposed to be secretive toward each other if I tell him otherwise.

"Fine, I'll tell you." I say. How in the world does he convince me to admit these things so easily? "I was kind of sad when we passed by the dead squirrel."

"But why would you be sad about something that you can't do anything about?" He asks as if I'm talking nonsense. At this point, we both stop and look at each other.

"Because I know that I can't do anything about it!" I pipe up. "Healing magic can only go so far, and there's been no successful way to bring back the dead without catastrophic consequences. I wish I could've been there to save it in time!" My emotions all come out in one strong rant, and I doubt he'll understand how I feel.

"Do you feel that way toward humans too?" He inquires in a calm voice, turning and staring blankly at the gravel path ahead of us.

"Yes. Even more so." I'm now biting back so many forgotten tears and memories I had crammed down to the bottom of my mind over the years.

In one swift motion, Jayden embraces me in a one-armed, awkward hug.

"I may not understand how you feel, but I admire you for your selflessness and compassion towards others. You truly have a hero's heart. Please don't cry." His words seem truly sincere but puzzling at the same time. He lets go, and we continue our route along the beaten path.

**Jayden's POV: **

It's odd how some people are so readily willing to help others; no matter if it's an animal, person, or even the smallest insect. If more people were like Felicity, there would truly be peace in this world. Sadly, I truly cannot feel what she was feeling. Oh well, it would only lead to pain anyway. Either way, she's so interesting to be around. I've never met someone so kind and accepting of me. Not only that, the numb, cold, and empty feeling that follows me everywhere is gone when I'm with Felicity. Maybe I can feel the emotion I lack through her. It's strange, though. She's the first person in years I had a problem with seeing at the brink of tears.

**Author's note: and that concludes this chapter! What things could Felicity have been fighting to not remember, I wonder? I looked on my page and found that I've gotten 6 views already in the first two days this fanfic has been up, so I'm really happy! Thank you guys so much for your support and I'll try to update as frequently as possible so please stick with me. (cyberhugs to whoever's reading this) I've also really come to enjoy writing this story, so I'll have an extra motive to crank out a bunch of new chapters! Until next time, see ya!**


	4. Chapter 4: A Day And A Night

**Author's note: I'm posting the next chapter right after posting this one. Lots of your questions about the characters' pasts will be revealed in chapter 5 I promise! Oh and I do not own the chef Boyardee ravioli brand from chapter 2. Also, I do not own Krave cereal and all its rights belong to Kellogg's. If I did, I'd eat it every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner then bathe in it before bed XD. **

** Chapter 4: a Day and a Night**

**Time skip to: Saturday morning later that week. **

_Knock knock_

I hear as I try to sleep in on a Saturday.

Just ignore it, go back to sleep.

_Knock knock knock_

Whoever it is will probably go away in a minute.

_Knock knock knock knock knock_

Dammit, who's causing such an annoying racket this early?! I finally give up on sleeping and grumpily get up to check the door. I open the it up and...

"Hi." Jayden is there in the doorway seemingly unaffected by how insanely early it is.

"Hi..." I groggily croak back. I'm now a bit embarrassed being out here in my spaghetti strap shirt and polka dot shorts for pajamas with massive, frizzy bed head.

"Did I come at the wrong time?" He puzzles, concerned.

"No, It's okay, let me just change out of my PJ's first." I yawn and rub one eye before closing the door slowly.

I change into a shirt that says "error 404 t-shirt print not found" on it and put on some sweatpants, then come back outside after putting my hair up in its usual pinned bun with my wand in it.

"Okay, you can come in now." I say with more energy after waking up a little.

"Whadya wanna do?" He asks me.

"Well right now, I'm getting myself some breakfast." We go to the kitchen and I pull out from the cupboard my favorite breakfast food of all time, double chocolate Krave cereal. I get some milk from the refrigerator and make my bowl, then sit down at the table with Jayden to eat.

"That looks like dog food." He comments.

"Dog food?!" I retort. "I'll have you know that this is the best breakfast cereal that has ever existed in history!"

"How do you know if you haven't tried every cereal in history that has ever existed?"

"Because it is!" I stick out my tongue and take another bite.

"Real mature for a 9th grader." He sarcastically chimes in. "Anyway, my favorite cereal is honey nut Cheerios." He adds.

"I never really liked that cereal much, there's not enough sugar in it." I respond.

"Not enough sugar?! How big is your sweet tooth, the size of Russia?" He remarks.

"Nope, the entire Andromeda galaxy times infinity to the power of a thousand squared to the power of infinity!" I stretch out my arms and lean back to show how big it would be.

"Good luck not getting diabetes or a cavity with that humungous sweet tooth." He chuckles.

In response, I get up to go fetch another spoon from the utensil drawer, sit down, and hand it to him.

"Try it, see what you think." I pass over the unfinished bowl. He skeptically takes a small bite like it may or may not be cyanide or something.

His eyes widen as he chews and swallows it.

"This is the best cereal I've ever tasted." He remarks, stunned.

"I know, right? Want me to fix you some?"

"Really?" Jayden squeals and gets all excited like a kid on Christmas morning. People may see him as cold and he may not warm up to people well, but he's different once you get to know him. It's sad others don't see the goodness in him, and he may not even notice it in himself.

After that, we both start going nuts on Krave and take turns casting spells to refill the cereal box and milk jug. After about 2 entire boxes each, we can't eat anymore and feel like throwing up.

"By the way, where are your parents?" Jayden eventually asked me.

"On a business trip."

"Oh, okay. What do you want to do now?" He inquires.

"I have an idea." I wave my index finger and declare formally. "Follow me." I slowly get up as to avoid vomiting from a whole day's worth of food in one sitting.

We spend the day watching cartoons, reading, playing baseball out in the yard, and listening to music. That evening, it starts pouring and thundering outside in a massive, hurricane-like way and didn't let up the rest of the night.

"Well, no way you can go home through a storm like that." I finally decide.

"Is it okay if I spend the night here?" Jayden requests.

"Sure thing." I go get some extra blankets from the closet. "You can sleep on the couch right there." I point to the brown leather sofa nearby in the living room.

"Thank you. For everything." He mutters as if in deep contemplative thought, then looks at me and smiles.

He crashes into the couch, I sleep in my bed, and that's how the day ended. It was so nice having somebody to talk and laugh with for a day. I should really be open to people like this more often.

**Author's note: This was kind of a filler but still critical to read so that you don't get confused about the next chapter's setting. By the way, I do not own honey nut Cheerios either. I think I'm gonna be doing a lot of food ownership disclaimers in the author's notes XD. Like I said the next chapter is already posted so just go right on ahead to it if you'd like :) also, just for fun, you can announce in the review section below what your favorite cereal of all time is. It'd be interesting seeing people angrily debate over what to eat for breakfast lol. Bye guys!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Broken Past

**Author's note: heya guys very plot-intensive chapter here and I've slowly planned it out in my head since I started writing this fanfic. If you're looking for a good song to listen to while reading this part, "This Is How You Remind Me" by Nickelback goes great with it. Enjoy!**

**chapter 5: a broken past**

"_Hey big sister, where are we going?" _

_"To the hospital, of course! We're going to help people and make them feel better." _

_"And make their boo boos go away?"_

_"You betcha." _

_"Sister, why did you give that homeless guy your lunch?" _

_"So that he could have something to eat." _

_"Why do you always go so far to help others?"_

_"Because I know I'm making the world a better place." _

_"How does magic work?" _

_"I'll teach you sometime, how does that sound?" _

_"Sister, what happened to you? Why did you do this to yourself?! You're a splattered mess on the ground now... You said you'd never abandon me!" _

I give a brief scream and wake up from my relived nightmare in cold sweat; the images of my deceased older sister with raven black hair cascading down to her waist and a kind smile suddenly to die in a gory instant still fresh in my mind.

"Sister, why?" I silently whimper to myself, thinking I was alone in the room.

"What happened!" Jayden jolts awake beside me and I give another scream.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO SLEEP ON THE COUCH!" I protest in anger, throwing a pillow at him.

"The couch got too small." He defends. "Why, did I do something wrong?"

"YES! You're not supposed to sleep in the same bed with someone of the opposite gender unless you're in a relationship and live together or are married!" I point out the obvious.

"Oh... Whoops, didn't know that." He responds nervously.

Just how thick is this boy and how big of a rock could he possibly live under? I hope I'm still technically considered a virgin.

"Anyway, why did you wake up screaming before you noticed me? You looked scared." He changes the subject.

"It's nothing." I lie.

"So you mean to say you woke up screaming for no apparent reason?" He points out. "Did it have to do with why you were sad that time at the park?" He then very accurately guesses.

"I said it's nothing." I look at the ground, trying to avert eye contact.

"What if I tell you something I've never told anyone before if you tell me what woke you up. How does that sound?" He pries.

"Fine then, since you'll probably nag an answer out of me anyway." I take a deep breath and clear my thoughts. I've never told anybody about what I'm about to say either.

"My big sister...her name was Cassie. She was the kindest person I had ever known. She learned magic from a young age so that she could help people in need. Our parents never knew about it. I looked up to her like a hero. She graduated high school at 16 and was training at medical school to become a doctor. Even with all her studying, though, she still made time for me. But for some odd reason, one day when I was eight, she went to take a walk and the next thing I knew, we found her disfigured remains next to a skyscraper she had fallen from. The police told us it had to have been suicide, but it was so hard to believe. She was beautiful, intelligent, in peak physical condition, everyone she knew adored her and she was the favorite child in the household. No one could figure out why she would've wanted to take her own life. That's when I started learning magic. I read Cassie's old spell books so that I could make a change for the better in people's lives as well. I wanted to fill in the role in life she left behind."

I felt like I was going to explode from either embarrassment or sadness. I had suppressed this subject and tried to ignore the pain I still felt for so long that I didn't know what to do.

"Well, you said you were going to tell me something too." I point out in order to get the subject off my mind.

"Fine then, a deal's a deal." He sighs hesitantly and his face looks troubled. "When I was about seven, a madman broke into my classroom with a gun and attempted to kill everyone in sight. I tried to stop him, but I wasn't strong enough." He clenches his fist in agony. "By the time the police got to us, he slaughtered at least half of the people there, including the teacher. I still vividly remember the bloodshed, screams of the innocent, and the mindless violence. After that, I decided that I was done caring about people, as it only brought me heartache. It took me a year of research, but I finally found a way to seal my own heart away with magic so that I wouldn't suffer the grief anymore."

I was shocked at what he had to say. Is this all real? Am I really hearing this?

"But I thought that was only possible in the children's fairy tale!" I contradict.

"No, it's quite possible." He clears up. "It's just very difficult to accomplish and not a lot of people want to do it in the first place."

After a brief moment of disturbing silence he breaks it by adding "Now that you know my secret, please don't reject me as a friend. I don't want you to be scared of me." He turns to me with saddened eyes.

Before I had time to think, my body reacted on its own and embraced him in a warm hug, my head over his shoulder. I could feel tears well up in my eyes and sorrow in my heart as I held on to him.

"There is one thing you can always count on, and it's that I'll never leave you."

Heartless or not, It doesn't matter. If he can't cry for himself, I'll cry for him. A few seconds later, I can feel his arms around me and we stay like that for a moment or two.

"You're the first person in a long time to show me such kindness." He remarks.

**Author's note: And that's where I'll stop for now. I know I'm so evil to keep you all waiting, but I had a serious case of writer's block coming up with the end of this chapter. There were parts of the plot that I realized had to be altered from my original plan in order for it to work. I wanted to release two chapters at once this time so that I wouldn't piss off readers with too many questions not being answered. Please tell me what you think in the review section and if you have any advice for me whatsoever. If you don't have an account, you may like to know that you can write a review without one. Until next time, sayonara! **


	6. Chapter 6: Hospital Visit

**Author's note: Happy summer/winter depending on where you are! And if it's winter for you then I'm jealous coz that's my favorite season! Anyway, screw the heat and here's my newest chapter! Disclaimer: I'm not meaning to imply any stereotypes or assumptions about Australians in this chapter. If you're from Australia and feel offended, I fully apologize. I stride for all my readers to get a little laugh out of the comic relief bits regardless of nationality. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Six: Hospital Visit**

After all the drama that morning brought, I get ready for my day and meet Jayden downstairs for breakfast again. We were both a bit sick of Krave from yesterday's binge on it, so I whip up some breakfast tacos instead. Good old bacon, eggs, and cheese wrapped in a tortilla.

"Wow, these are good." Jayden comments mid-bite.

"Thanks." I reply. For some reason, I feel super elated that he likes my cooking. Weird, but probably nothing noteworthy behind that emotion. I then bring up a totally random subject that just popped into my head. "Did you know that it's nearly impossible to say 'Good eye might' without sounding Australian?"

We both then try to outdo each other in our own fruitless attempts to say that phrase in a way that doesn't sound like you have an Australian accent. We then try saying it in different accents on purpose to see if that worked. It still didn't quite completely mask the Ausieness of its familiarity to 'gooday mate'. We then just go off track and start saying random things in all the foreign accents we can. I'm really good at talking in lots of various accents so this was a lot of fun for me. After breakfast is over, we both do the dishes.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I volunteer at the hospital every Sunday, so I'm okay if you decide to go home." I tell him. I've come to the hospital nearly every Sunday to help out since Cassie died.

"No, that's okay, I'll tag along if you don't mind. I have nothing better to do anyway." He says back.

"Great then. The bus comes at 10:30, so..." I trail off to check my watch. "In 15 minutes."

"Where's the bus stop?"

"Down the street." I inform.

We both walk over there and wait for the bus. We arrive at the hospital on schedule and walk in. I help guide Jayden around so he doesn't get lost as we make our way to the volunteer area.

"Hi there, brought a boyfriend today?" One of the youngest nurses, Nora, calls out in a shameless tone. I don't know if this is just her or how most people act fresh out of college. I feel myself blushing crimson red.

"W-W-We're not dating!" I stutter in embarrassment. I look over to Jayden and he looks just as calm and controlled as always.

"Oh really? I can read it on your face, hon!" She teases.

"That's because you _made_ that assumption and blurted it out loud to God and everybody!" I testify. Oh crap, this is so humiliating! What's Jayden going to think now? I don't even like him_ that way_. In fact, I've never liked anybody _that way!_

"She's telling the truth, we're not dating." Jayden assists in the argument. Whew, I'm glad nothing awkward about us got into his head.

"Fine then, if you say so." Nora says in a singsong voice and walks away. If I know her, she's probably going to gossip about Jayden and me to the other nurses sometime today.

I check the roster of signatures on the wall for tasks that need filling. There's not many people doing laundry duty, so we both sign our names there and go on over to the laundry room. We put different hospital gowns and bedsheets into the washers and dryers and then fold them all morning and afternoon. After a while, Jayden looks over at my stack.

"You put a magical imprint on everything you fold, huh?" He comments.

"What do you mean?" I ask innocently.

"You're not fooling me, I see the energy you put in it plain as day."

I huff. "You're too good."

"So tell me. What is it you're trying to accomplish by doing this?" He inquires.

"I put in an imprint into all the clothing and blankets to help patients speed up in their recovery and to comfort them." I admit.

"You're so selfless. Why?" He asks me.

"Bec-"

"Because you want to continue your sister's life as your own?" He interrupts.

"No..." I deny. I never really thought of it like that before.

"Then why?"

"Because it helps others. Because I know I'm making a positive difference in the world, and if everybody just stopped to consider other people once in a while, this world would be so much better off!" I face him and say. "Never mind, you wouldn't understand." I finish and turn away, picking up my newly folded stack and placing it with the others.

I wish he'd understand that. I wish he'd understand how I feel about him too. Wait, where the heck did that thought just come from? That's not something I'd think! Just ignore that, it's probably another crazy brain tangent of mine.

"I guess I don't." he decides, blankly staring down at the ground.

After volunteering at the hospital, Jayden and I head back down to the bus stop to ride home. I was exhausted from the day's events, and take a seat near the window with him in the seat next to me. I gaze out at the streets moving by as I feel myself slowly drift asleep.

**Jayden's POV:**

It seems Felicity fell asleep on the bus. She must be tired from today, especially from giving away so much energy. I look at her slumbering next to me, and reach over to move a strand of stray hair from her face. There's a way to describe how she looks, but I can't exactly pinpoint it. Cute, maybe? I have no clue how to describe it. I think back to how she was blushing at the idea of us being a couple. What does that mean to her? Why would it make her blush? So many questions I don't know where to start finding the answers to. I guess I'll never know. I guess I wouldn't understand after all.

**Author's note: aaand scene! Sorry about the slow update you guys. But please tell me what you think in a review if you'd like! Also, I have a couple of polls up on my page for you to check out. Until next time, Byeee!**


	7. Chapter 7: Denial

**Author's note: Ready for another chapter anyone? I noticed I've got some people reading up my updates almost as soon as I post them so I'm really happy people like it that much. I appreciate everybody reading this and you all are awesome for sticking with me :) Also, I'm going to be away all next week so I won't be able to update or write during that time just to give you a heads up. Enjoy!**

** Chapter Seven: Denial**

_Time skip to: next Saturday_

It's the end of another week and I just finished studying and doing homework from this week. I pause for a second to stretch after sitting for so long. School had been interesting to say the least. The actual curriculum has now started up and and is keeping me fairly busy in the classroom. I found that they don't lock the rooftops and there's a couple places to sit up there, so that's a great place to eat lunch sometimes. Gym class is every other day and the coach, Ms. Saunders, acts like a drill sergeant. Heck, she gives scary a whole new meaning the way she gets us to participate. Jayden and I have gotten along just fine and are becoming great friends. Something about him still puzzles me, though. I've never really been as happy to see someone as when I see him. And when he talks, I feel like paying attention more than I have anybody else. Maybe it's just the joy of having someone to do things with, or maybe something deeper than that. I seriously doubt the latter, though.

I take a glance at the wall clock and see that it's one in the afternoon. Mom should be home soon. She works weekends in shifts, and as for dad, he just works weekdays and then sleeps in on weekends. I decide to get my chores knocked out of the way and then take a nap. Oh sleep, how I missed you.

I wake up an hour later to mom cooking bacon, eggs, and toast in the kitchen. She lets me have some of what she's making, and we both sit down to a late breakfast. Dad awakes to the smell of it, and next thing you know we're all sitting down to a later-than-lunch breakfast. I realize that I hadn't eaten anything all day, so I'm more than happy to dig in.

"How's school been?" Mom asks me.

"Great." I reply.

"Make any new friends?" Dad inquires.

"Yeah, one named Jayden." I answer.

"That's great! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy." I reveal.

"Well, well. Is he cute?" Mom pries in an attempt to make conversation.

"No more than your average male." I tell her. But for some reason, some part of me is denying this statement and saying that Jayden is more than that. Just ignore it, these stray and heinous thoughts will surely go away with time.

"You know, I was around your age when I started dating." Mom raises and lowers her eyebrows.

"Yes, and you nearly dropped out of school to go run away with a biker!" I point out. She's told me that story before about her first boyfriend.

"I almost did, but I was lucky enough to have parents that would talk some sense into me. As will we do for you if you try to act on bad decisions." She corrects.

I sigh. "I'm not thinking of dating anyone!"

"If you say so...You'll change your mind eventually." Dad finishes.

After breakfast and the dishes are done, I go upstairs to my room. Same exact drawings of foreign countries on the walls, same exact light purple wallpaper with glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, same exact row of potted plants sitting on the windowsill, same green polka dot blanket on my bed as always. And my cat, raven, sitting on the foot of the bed.

"Hey, how's it going?" I make casual conversation with the pitch-black feline ironically named akin to a bird. I named her when I was nine after I found her on the streets as a kitten, and my thought process was actually to name her after the Teen Titans character. I plop down on the bed facing her stomach-down, and we just stare at each other for a while.

"This school year's been crazy. All new school, new teachers, lots more responsibilities in high school. And the building is so huge!" I stretch out my arms to exaggerate how big the campus is. "And remember the guy that came over last week? We're great friends." And yet again, that annoying voice in my head says I wish we were more than friends. Shut up, me! "Of course, he'll never be closer to me than you are!" I coo and stick out my finger to lightly touch her on the nose. I don't think about it much, but Raven really is the closest thing to my best friend. She's also the one I talk to whenever I have problems or need to sort things out with myself. Kind of like a guidance counselor that's always there for me. She's such a great listener and always picks me up when I'm down.

"I know what you're thinking. 'You have a crush on Jayden, don't you?'" I hypothesize. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but I don't. We're just friends. Even if I did love him, it would do me no good, for he literally and physically could not love me back." Wow, this is starting to remind me of Christoff and Sven the reindeer from that movie Frozen. Which gave me an idea. I can't sing well to save my own life, but I damn well start singing anyway to get my mind off of this topic:

"Cats are better than people. Raven, don't you think that's true? 'Yeah people will beat you and cheat you and curse you, most of them are bad except you' But people smell better than cats, don't you think I'm right? 'Yes this is true, for all except you' You got me, let's call it a night."

And with that, I get ready for bed early and try to read afterward. At first, I'm reading P_ride and Prejudice, _but then everybody in the book talking about prospective husbands and shit made me switch to _Little_ _Women_, and I realized that was still out of the question at the moment. Finally, I settle on _Lord of the Flies_, due to it containing nothing at all about romance. A couple of hours later, I went to sleep and tried to get my brain to not think about Jayden in any way. No matter what, I know I don't have feelings for him. We're just friends, and that's all.

**Author's note: Getting interesting? Also, I do not own Frozen or Teen Titans. I know this one isn't too long, and I'm sorry about that. I had more parts I was going to put in this chapter, but it clashed with another idea for a future chapter and I have to take a little time to sort out the plot line. I will update as soon as I can though so stay tuned! Have an awesome day/night/week/insert-segment-of-time-here and I'll write again soon!**


	8. Chapter 8: German Gone Wrong

**Author's note: Top of the morning to ya! I'm back from my week-long vacation and ready to provide you all with more of this fantabulous story! Actually, make that 2-3 weeks my bad. I meant to write and post this immediately after my trip but I got seriously stuck while writing. Hope you like it :)**

**Chapter Eight: German Gone Wrong**

It's back to school for another week and I'm fine with that. I've been working my butt off trying to get all A's for the first quarter. I've had straight A's for four uninterrupted years, and moving up a school isn't going to break that streak if I can help it. It's lunch time now and Jayden and I are in the cafeteria today. Most of the time, we've been eating lunch together and that's worked out just fine. On this particular day, a student with pitch black disheveled hair, ripped jeans, and a Metallica shirt on emerges from the lunch line and decides to sit with us. Jayden and I both immediately shut up because we were debating about whether or not witchcraft was a safe practice in ancient Scotland before the English took over.

"Mind if I sit with you guys?" The person asks as he sits down.

"Sure." I reply.

There is a bit of silence for a couple minutes as he quietly dines on the school's feeble attempt at a sloppy joe sandwich. I bring my own packed lunches for a reason. Lunch lines are neverending and school lunches taste disgusting anyway.

"Name's Alex by the way." Our eating accomplice says after chewing one final bite. Jayden and I both tell Alex our names.

"How's the sandwich?" I ask in an awkward aim to make conversation.

"Mystery meat as always. I wonder where one would get such a steady supply of roadkill." Alex jests.

"The world may never know." Jayden chuckles in a heart-stopping way.

"I'm guessing you like Metallica?" I inquire to Alex, acknowledging his shirt.

"Yup, love 'em."

"Cool. Metal never really gets old, does it?" I ask rhetorically. Sometimes I find myself listening to metal when I'm in the right mood. I have a very eclectic music taste, so I listen to lots of different genres.

"Nope." He says.

"Have you heard Rammstein before? They're pretty hardcore."

"No, but I'll look it up when I get home." He informs.

Next class is German. I realize during this particular period that anything you say in German can sound like an insult if you say it loud enough. That gives me an idea. After German class is History which is the last class of the day every other day. I spot Jayden in the halls going to his locker and sneak up behind him. One, two, three.

"ICH LIEBE DICH!" This immediately scares the crap out of him and he jumps. The startled blonde jerks around in surprise, holding a textbook high above his head ready to hit something with it.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" He protests after seeing it was only me.

"Just 'cause." I justify, beaming. I wonder if he knew the phrase though. Maybe he's taking German too or already knows it. To be quite honest, I was now hoping he didn't get what I just said. I have no idea why I just said those particular words, as I was about to say 'Ich mag teddybären und kuchen'. My mind just kind of slipped up, I guess.

Jayden's tense, towering form relaxes as he lowers his book. "Don't sneak up on me like that. Next time I may not catch myself in time and-" he trails off. "Never mind." He huffs with a defeated look. He turns to his locker and gets the rest of his stuff for class. I do the same two lockers down.

"You know, you might drive me literally insane one of these days." Jayden holds out a finger and touches my nose jokingly. "By the way, what were you shouting?" He adds.

Oh crud, I blew it this time! Being the awkward and socially impaired person I am, I struggle to stammer, "Um, uh, n-n-nothing!" Then sprint down the hall to class as fast as I can without looking back. This time, there's no hand holding me back, and no second thoughts, as I hurriedly make my way to History. I take a seat in my usual area and notice Alex nearby. It's weird how you don't seem to fully notice a person in a room until you know them.

"Something wrong?" Alex inquires thoughtfully.

"No, nothing's wrong." I say as I slump back into my chair. After a few seconds pause, I make an effort to take out my pencil and notebook for today's lesson. I roll the pencil between my fingers in deep thought, at the same time trying to distract myself with the kitten holding onto a branch with the motivational words 'Hang in there' printed on the surface. I silently think to myself, _Just hang in there, me._ _Hang in there. _But what does _'there' _even mean? Is it a situation you'd rather not be in? Is it a halfway point to a goal? Or perhaps a puzzling problem you have to correct? _'You know what, Jayden Asterick?'_ I finally say to myself. _'Someday, you'll probably drive me insane too'._

**Author's note: And there you go! So sorry that I didn't update sooner by the way. Anyway, last weekend I went to a comic and anime convention and that was tons of fun. I was originally going to cosplay one of the ninjas from Naruto but I couldn't find my headband which blew that idea out of the water so I crammed together a last-minute pirate costume. I brought food in with me so I wouldn't have to buy it there and got to do a really cool live action roleplay battle using a foam Gandalf staff and then went on a wild goose chase for an hour and a half looking** **for an anime panel and- **

**Felicity: (stuffs sock into our dear author's mouth) Please pardon that previous tangent and we'll see you soon!**


	9. Chapter 9: Closer to Fine

**Author's note: Greetings! School is starting back up for me, but I'll write and update as much as I can. These past 2 weeks have been a continuing series of survived heart attacks trying to keep my grades afloat. In other news, I was listening to "closer to fine" by the Indigo Girls while writing this, took one look at what I was writing, and went "this is now the chapter's official theme song." Because it just went so well with the chapter's mood. So that's what I titled it. This is one of the plot's big turning points, so hope you like it :)**

**Chapter 9: closer to fine**

I wake up this morning to the culmination of a hazy Labor Day weekend, wishing I could go back to sleep. But, sadly, that seems to not be happening today. Sometimes when I'm awake in the morning, I'm awake and all the tedious sheep counting in the world won't make me fall back asleep. I'll just have to try and nap later on when I'm tired. I slowly awake to my life; a life that has become confusing, unpredictable, and batshit crazy since school started. I can't quite pinpoint why it feels this way, but I think it has to do with Jayden. You know what? It's freaking Labor Day! Screw this! I'm just going to eat breakfast, feed Raven, and go somewhere that will make me forget it all for a while. I decide that a hike in particular would be the best distraction. Screw chores and studying too until I get back. Wow, did I really just think that? Do they make soap that can wash out your brain's mouth? Does your brain even have a mouth? Does this mean you can think all the ludicrous thoughts you want and never get punished? What the heck am I even thinking? No wonder people call me a goody two shoes! After that tangential monologue and feeding my stereotypical pitch-black cat, I make a pop tart since I didn't feel like cooking and gather up a backpack of stuff to bring. I take a book, a bottle of water, some emergency gear in case I get lost in the middle of nowhere, and a couple of granola bars. I suit up in some dark-colored jeans, a simple light blue plaid button-down shirt, and a yellow bandana as a hairband to keep my hair out of my face. I wear my wand in my hair as always and leave a note saying where I've gone so that my parents won't think I was abducted by aliens or something.

I walk outside and head on a 10-block journey to the nearest nature trail. I take myself pretty much everywhere except for school, so I'm used to long walks when not taking the bus. It's gorgeous and sunny outside with the softest, most gentle breeze. It's not so scaldingly hot that being outside becomes miserable, but not too cold either. It's just right. I'm not wearing shoes at all and I can feel every step beneath my unsheltered feet. Sometimes going barefoot feels great as long as you can avoid broken glass on the ground and the like. It makes one feel more connected to the earth. My attention soon turns to the usual monkey chatter that my monkey mind can always be counted on to produce. Am I prepared enough for this coming week's history quiz? Why the hell does Jayden make me feel the way I do? How the hell can one person break my normally shy shell so easily? Have I gone mad? Are these questions irrelevant to begin with? Where does baby oil come from? So many questions I can't even begin to fully answer. I arrive at the trail and set off into one of the narrow beaten paths leading into the forest. An assortment of old and new growth trees soon surround my every direction, all reaching up to the sun in an unspoken competition and creating a thick roof of branches overhead; only letting in the sunlight in shining blots that portray their arrangement along the forest floor below. There's no place like the woods. There's always something to keep your brain occupied and calm, and you feel at peace with the world. I quietly press on for a few minutes, taking in all my surroundings.

What if Jayden meant more to me than a friend? Even if he did, it would never be logical to think that way. He physically, and literally, can never love me back. It would save me some heartache to just forget about that possibility in its entirety. 'But your feelings need to be addressed!' Some persistent side of my brain was calling out. Dammit, brain! Why do you have to be so stubborn at times? Well, might as well sort it out with myself now than later. Why would I be attracted to him in the first place? I dig up in the disorganized hoarder's home that is my cranium why in the world I would love him of all people, and all that I could come up with was this: for some reason, he's the one person who I don't feel as nervous around. Even other people don't seem as difficult to approach when he's involved. As if I know I'm always safe around him, and I'm free from judgement. I know that's stupid considering what happened in the children's fable that pretty much mirrors this scenario, but I guess I'm just full of hare-brained ideas lately. Whether being with him means just plain suicide or something else, I guess that'll depend on how careful I am. Instinct tells me to give up even the idea of seeing or talking to him again for my own safety, but I don't think I could quite bring myself to do so. I guess that means yes to my feelings for him. What a mess I've gotten myself into. I'd have to be one hardcore masochist to do such a thing to myself, but you know what? I don't care.

I eventually make my way back home a while later, the locusts chirping their rattly tune and the mellow evening sky slowly painting itself into a wide and serene mural of orange and pink as I open my door and let myself in.

And the strangest thing of all is that, suicide or not, I'm in love with Jayden Asterick.

**Author's note: And that's chapter nine for now. If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my fanfic as every view I see on the traffic stats chart makes me very happy and proud of my work. I would also very much appreciate a review, follow, favorite, or any form of feedback. I also have some polls up for the answering. One of them is also going to decide the plot for a new fanfic so please check that out if you would like more stories. Byeeeee!**


	10. Chapter 10: Nits and Giggles

**Author's note: Here comes the 10th chapter of a Heartless Void filled! This story has also reached past its 100th view! Let's break out the vodka and celebrate! (Not really with vodka though, sorry. Maybe some apple juice?) **

**Chapter Ten: Nits and Giggles**

I wake up and realize that I completely forgot to pack my lunch the night before, so I scramble to get it ready. I just shove in a orange plastic bowl and a colossal can of beef soup and call it a day. I scarf down some cereal, feed the cat, and head out the door. I get up extra early to walk to school. I walk pretty much everywhere I go unless it's too ridiculously far or it's raining. On those occasions, I take the bus. Even when it rains, I'll sometimes take a short walk in bare feet just to enjoy it.

I eventually pass by what I now understand as Jayden's house and my heart skips a beat. I wonder if he's up yet or whether he's already on his way to school. Just then, I see someone come out of the wooden door and stride across the front lawn. Yep, that's him. Crap, now I have to explain why I'm just standing here in front of his house for no apparent reason. He sees me and heads in my direction.

"Hi" he greets. I say hi back.

"So I'm guessing you want to walk to school together?" He guesses.

"Sure." I reply. Whew, I'm glad no awkward and fabricated explanations were required.

We walk to school together for the rest of the time. It's a dewy morning with the smell of pine still fresh in the air and a faint breeze pushing against us. I can't believe my brain has decided to like this boy as more than a friend. No boy has ever done that. What the heck have I gotten myself into? I think of what to say to him and came up with zilch for a while. I then thought about a random joke I made up last week.

"Wanna hear a joke?" I offer.

"Sure" he gleefully accepts.

"How do you make an octopus laugh?"

He takes a minute or two to think up the answer and gives up. "I don't know, how?"

"Ten-tickles!" I reveal.

We both get a great laugh from that, causing a jovial and lighthearted feeling to carry over to school. In English, we review a short story we recently read called the Most Dangerous Game and the teacher asks us some questions.

"What happened in the bedroom?" Our balding spectacled teacher asks in the most subliminally funny way possible.

"Naughty, naughty things..." I whisper to Alex. The answer is, of course, that Rainsford killed General Zaroff, but the wording of that question was just begging for a wrong answer conjured up in the minds of teens.

We both silently snicker, making Jayden look our way.

"What's so funny?" He whispers to us both. We silently explain the joke to him and he joins in our giggle party.

"What is so funny back there?" The teacher spots us and glares in a way that just dares us to challenge him.

Darn, we're in hot water now. Just then, Alex pipes up,

"Umm... We're just wondering what would happen...if..there was a bunch of lice eggs that got into a bowl and it looked like rice and..someone ate it?"

There's an intense moment of silence as the teacher ponders our desperate and improvised response.

To my astonishment, he then starts laughing uncontrollably, doubling over in his chair. Holy cow, I didn't know it was even physically possible for this guy to laugh! Who is this man and what has he done with our English teacher? He sure has an odd sense of humor. After a couple of minutes of his hysterical response with an entire class all staring at him like they just saw a pink gorilla suddenly appear in our classroom, he starts to calm down.

"Okay class, next question:"

After school, I walked home out of the cluster of faces all streaming one way in a current like every dismissal and start on my usual direction home. Jayden greets me with a seemingly cheerful look.

"Hey, what's up?" He chimes.

"Nothing much, just walking home." I reply.

"Want to stop at the park?" He offers. I think about it for a second.

"Sure." We walk over to the park and head to the swing sets first. I guess I could stop for a while. We both get on a swing and competitively propel with all our might to get super high until we could've done a full 360 if we went any higher.

"Victory is mine!" I scream over the squeaking of chain as the swings try to keep up.

"Not if I can help it!" He shouts back.

"I bet I can jump off farther than you!" I challenge.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah really!" I jump off with all my effort, flung into the air and soaring high for about a split second. And then I landed butt first and came skidding downwards across the wooden chips onto my back. I looked around as he tried to beat me and landed stomach-down right next to me.

"Who won?" He looks up and asks

"I think it's a tie" I tell him

We both have one more swinging contest, ending in a tie as well.

"What do you want to do now?" He inquires

"Let's climb some trees!" I propose.

"Alright!"

We both run to the nearest climbable tree and I eventually find myself 20 feet off the ground with Jayden on the branch above me. I look down and suppress a shout. Holy cow. I'm 20 feet in the air. I would totally be hospitalized at the least if I fell from this height. This is kind of scary. Climb trees, I said. What could go wrong, I said. A grimy-looking passerby passes us by, looks up, and catcalls us. What the serious hell just happened? Why did he just catcall us? Is he bisexual or something? When he's out of sight, we both decide to slowly inch our way down the tree, almost falling to our doom a couple of times. We eventually each the ground in one piece.

We both end the day by parting ways and going to our respective homes.

I end up working for hours on one of the school projects I was assigned. It's supposed to be a group project on the different groupings of biological life and their cell differences. But, of course, I got stuck with the bulk of it, as usual. It seems that in every group project there's only one person who cares about it actually getting done. Whatever, at least at home I can listen to Matsune Miku while doing it. My mind eventually wanders over to Jayden. Well, if we can't be together as a couple, then I'm just as fine if we're friends.

**Author's note: I'm sooooo sorry about it taking so long to update. There's been lots going on lately. School, family, test ulcers, prior obligations, writer's block, etc. here's the latest chapter and I know it's not much, but I already have a great idea for next chapter's events. Please tune in next time, please try not to get frustrated with me and I will try to deliver as much as possible. Please review, favorite, or any kind of feedback if you can. You don't need an account to post a review and if you favorite it then you'll be notified whenever there's a new chapter. **

**Happy Halloween and for a special treat, I propose a challenge! Show this video to anyone you know and see how long they can watch it: watch?v=hpP5lh6Pl6c. Warning: this video contains extreme weirdness. Watch at your own risk. Also feel free to post their reactions in a review. Have an awesome one you guys!**


	11. Chapter 11: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

**Author's note: I'm back and with yet another chapter! I hope you all are enjoying my story so far and I promise I'll make it more romantically exciting as I go. I'm just not a fan of instantly heavy romances, that's all. I tried making some JaydenxFelicity art a few weeks ago using my phone and a sketchbook app but it went horribly wrong XD. I even tried making a DIY stylus using some online instructions to see if that made it better. It worked but the art was still sloppy at best and got nowhere. I'll try using a computer sometime and see if that works better. Anyway, enough with my babbling and let's continue this fanfic, shall we? **

**Chapter 11: Take Me Out to the Ballgame **

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm perched on my bed next to an old radio that's tuned to my favorite station, which normally plays variety music. Right now what was playing was one of those crappy pop songs that I liked at first but it got shoved in my face so much that I got sick of it. But I don't care. Luck spell in place, I'm listening for the very moment they stop playing to commence the contest for two front-row seat tickets to tonight's Pelicans baseball game. My phone is already set with the speed dialed number ready to call the station at press of a button. First caller gets the tickets, so I'll try to call as soon as the song ends. Which isn't a song I wouldn't mind ending, either. I could now hear the song coming to a close as my eardrums praise the end of that torture. I start calling the station with lightning reflexes.

"And the winner of the baseball tickets is..." They then play their cheesy drum roll sound effect present at every reveal of contest winners. "Caller number one, who is this?" I hear through the radio and my phone, now on speaker.

Sweet mother of sandwiches, I can't believe I just won. These contests are usually super hard to win. Well, I guess with ordinary measures, it is. I still feel a bit guilty using magic to win, but it's not like the spell was specifically for this contest. It was just for luck in general, so it technically isn't cheating. Lost in my train of thought, I forget about the radio DJ on the other end of the line.

"Caller number one, hello?" He checks to make sure I didn't prank call the station or suddenly decide to ditch the phone and hitchhike to Mexico or something.

"Umm, yes, hello?" I snap out of my daze and finally answer.

"Congratulations, you win the tickets." The man at the station tells me. I give an excited fan girl squeal as I fully come back to reality.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I excitedly say, grabbing my cat that was previously napping on my bed to give a suffocating hug to, and then hang up. Five minutes later, the station calls back to give me their address so I can come pick up the tickets. I tell my dad that I'm going out to the station to pick up my prize, and ask if he can come to the game with me. He says he cannot, as he has a business meeting to attend. I called mom at work this morning and she said she didn't want to go. At least I know of one other person I want to ask.

"Can I ask Jayden?" I ask dad.

"Why would you want to ask him?"

"Because other than one other person I literally met this week, he's my only friend at school."

After considering this, he gives a reply. "Sure, I guess."

I'm super happy on the inside at that response but am careful not to show it on the outside so that my dad doesn't get any ideas as to how I feel about Jayden. He's who I wanted to ask in the first place and why I entered the contest to begin with, but I still had an obligation to be courteous enough to put family first.

After a grand adventure in finding the radio station amidst a labyrinth of sections in a colossal skyscraper, I retreat back into my room at home, tickets in hand, and begin to call Jayden.

The phone rings up the number I'm calling, and Jayden eventually picks up at the other end.

"What is it?" He asks, sounding slightly agitated.

"How strange a bird is the pelican. His beak can hold more than his belly-can. And all the while I wonder, just how in the hell-he-can?" I just couldn't resist making that reference, since we're on the subject anyway.

"Is this about the Pelicans game tonight?" He guesses.

"Yes Mr. Smarty Pants, and your friend is oh-so-graciously inviting you to said game in one of the best possible seating areas for a chance to get pelted by thine sacrosanct baseball personally touched by a Pelicans athlete."

I could've sworn I heard a faint suppressed squeal at that particular moment.

"I'll be there!" He exclaims.

We then make all the arrangements to take the bus there and back and all the minutia of tonight's plans.

He shows up at my doorstep in a navy blue sweater that perfectly contradicts his gorgeous golden eyes and khaki pants. He looked particularly well dressed.

"A little dressed up now, aren't we?" I comment.

"Oh shut up, my mom made me!" He annoyingly defends, scowling. "At least it's better than what you're wearing." He adds.

"What?" I respond, mockingly taking offense. "I'll have you know that what garments lucky enough to grace my body this evening are of the best of sporting fanatic apparel!"

"It looks like you raided your mother's makeup drawer and are trying to one-up Lady Gaga at this game."

I was wearing a striped yellow and blue long-sleeve shirt, a corny hat that resembles a pelican perched atop my head in its nest, a white knee-length skirt, stark yellow rain boots, and war paint in all the team colors. He was right on the raiding-my-mother's-makeup-drawer part, but I was never going to admit to that. We both playfully tease each other on various wardrobe malfunctions for part of the bus ride until we both run out of things to say. Then there's silence for a while.

"Jayden, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead." He answers.

"If it weren't for this game, what would you be doing right now?"

"Sitting at home, reading, the usual. And probably thinking about how dull my life would be if you hadn't crashed right into it, I guess." He shrugs, leaning to the side in order to stare out the window, head held up by his arm.

I'm glad that he values me that much at least. I make his life less dull, and that's a good thing, right? Even if a relationship with him is next to impossible, I still value our camaraderie. I'm also glad that I'm not seen as just a hinderance to him.

At the game, we both hit up the concession stands first. We just decide to buy one medium-sized popcorn to share and two waters in order to save money. We then find our seats and sit down. The game is brutally harsh to our beloved Pelicans in the first half, but the difficulty starts to let up in the second half, and they eventually begin catching up.

At one of the commercial breaks, they do their usual games to entertain the crowd, including something called the "kiss cam", where they pick out supposed couples to put on the jumbotron and they're supposed to kiss right then and there in front of thousands of people. If you know where this is going, then someone better pat you on the back and give you a biscuit with a scholarship to Harvard taped to it. All of a sudden Jayden and I both turn from the laughers to the ones being laughed at as our faces appeared on the jumbotron screen with the kiss cam frame still on it. Dammit, whatever retards filming this stuff apparently thought we were a couple! It took a second to realize at first, but then horror strikes both our faces accompanied with a beet red blush. My heart is pounding, my stomach churning, time seems to be slowing down and I don't know what to do. I turn to face Jayden as he turns to face me.

"Well, might as well entertain the crowd." He tells me, a minuscule smile beginning in his lips. He leans in, and... kisses his hand, then places it on my cheek. Smart move on his part. I still light up inside about this, though. Was it technically a kiss? Was it something meaningful or just so that the jumbotron would quit broadcasting a live feed of us? Either way, it seemed to have satisfied the technicians enough to leave us alone from then on. Tonight was surely the highlight of my week.

Oh, yeah, and the Pelicans won.

**Author's note: Aww, how sweet! Also, I've finally gotten around to looking at a plot diagram and putting down my major plot ideas on paper so that I know just where the hell this story is going. I hope you'll like how I advance the plot for future chapters. Together, we shall conquer loneliness one weird love story at a time! See ya next time, and have an awesome week everyone!**


	12. Chapter 12: Love Hurts

**Author's note: Another chapter, anyone? This is where the plot begins to build in suspense. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twelve: Love Hurts**

Yet another day at school, yet another quiz, yet another lunch consisting of purely canned foods and cookies devoured. For the fifth day in a row. Because I'm just too darn lazy to put any effort into my packed lunches. Anyway, I'm sitting in my history class now with my textbook open to why the Greeks and Romans were supposedly the most technologically badass civilizations to have ever lived, when I notice a piece of paper being passed to me. I look up and see that it's from Alex. He blushes and smiles at me sheepishly. This can't end well. I look down at the halfway-crumpled piece of paper on my desk now covering up the amusing picture of a dude in a toga holding an Uzi gun and riding on top of a unicorn with laser beams shooting out of its eyes that somebody graffitied in the textbook.

I cautiously open up the note and this is what it reads:

I need to tell you something after school. Meet be at the dismissal area outside. See you there.

-Alex

Well, that's just what I do after packing up to go home at the end of the day. I head to meet him outside near the school parking lot curb when Jayden catches up to me in the hallways.

"Any plans?" He asks.

"I have to go talk to Alex right now, according to this note." I hold up the piece of paper to show him.

"Can I come with?" He requests.

"Sure, I guess." I say. It's not like this is something huge and private, is it? I hope it's not, because I'm just not in the mood to deal with something like that right now.

Outside on school grounds, I begin to see Alex where he wanted to meet me and stroll over there. I get there and he looks elated.

"Glad you could make it." Says Alex. But then he sees who's with me and suddenly looks disappointed.

"Why did he tag along?" Alex protests, pointing to Jayden in an almost whiny manner.

"Because he simply wanted to come with me and I saw no reason why not, so I let him." I explain.

Alex then turns to Jayden, "Can you please go away for a second? I have something private I want to discuss with her." Oh boy, there's no way this can be good.

"Okay, but I like having someone to walk home with, so I'll be over there waiting." Jayden informs, gesturing to the bench about seven meters away. Does he really care that much about walking home with me? He goes over there to sit down, and then Alex starts speaking.

"..okay...umm..." He looks away and then back, obviously nervous. "Will...Will you out with me?" He finishes. I can't believe he just asked me that. I've never been asked out before, and I already know my answer. I know that I'll hurt his feelings. I can imagine being on the flip side of this situation. But, I just can't say yes to this. I can't. In my heart and my mind, I know I love Jayden and not Alex, and I would never be happy with Alex. He's a good friend, but my heart belongs with Jayden. Even if that affection can likely never be returned, it's better than faking feelings towards another person. But I barely even have the strength to tell Alex this. I muster up as much courage as I can to speak.

"I'm so sorry, but..." I look away. I look back, but this time towards the ground. "I just can't." I close my eyes and state in a slightly raised voice, and run off so I don't have to face him. So I don't have to see his reaction. I know I've quite possibly hurt him in some way, but I just forget all that and run. Into the street I run, aiming to get as far away as possible.

I don't even stop to notice the large black van that comes barreling towards me until it's too late and I'm knocked over by it. My head is directly hit as I fall to the cold, hard asphalt in one swift motion. My vision goes blurry and the world I see starts to spin and spin; my head in agonizing pain. One moment, I'm running, and the next, I'm down on the ground so quickly I can barely register it in my mind.

I could at least see that the van had stopped in time so I wouldn't get crushed, and I swear I hear someone screaming my name. People start gathering around me and I see a teacher emerge from all the commotion with a flashlight. She shines it in both my eyes and examines them; a basic procedure for checking for a concussion. I start to feel myself go limp, almost like how I am when I'm sleepy, and the chatter of frantic voices around me begin to tune out and sound like small and indiscernible mumbles before I close my eyes and I'm rendered into unconsciousness.

My eyes open and I gain awareness for a brief moment some time later, long enough for me to discover that I'm being carried by someone. I look up with the little strength I have, and see that that someone is Jayden. I feel his warmth against my body, and it soothes me as I slowly lull back asleep.


	13. Chapter 13: Awakening

**Author's note: I'm considering expanding my number of stories, and I'll very likely start with another supernatural romance similar to this one. I now have a poll up to decide on what kind of paranormal romance to write (werewolf, vampire, ghost, etc.) and it will close when this story's main plot is officially over. When that is the case, I will announce it in one of the author's notes. I will probably still keep posting new chapters for AHVF afterwards, but I'll put more of my focus on the other stories. That's a good ways down the road, but I'm just telling you all now to give you a heads up and so that you have plenty of time to vote. If you don't have an account, you can still participate in the poll by looking at the choices and voting via review, since that doesn't require an account. **

**Chapter Thirteen: Awakening **

I wake up again from being knocked out to find myself in a hospital bed. I'm half awake at first, then slowly begin to become aware of my surroundings. I still can't manage to fully shake that zombie-like feeling, though. I notice that mom and dad are in chairs next to my bed.

"I'm so glad you're awake", says mom. I'm glad they came. How long did they wait for me to wake up?

"Thank you for staying by me." I say to my parents. "How long was I out?" I ask them.

"Three days. We were worried about what was going to happen to you." Dad informs. I find and examine a digital wall clock that reads 9:00.

"We're glad we happened to stop by when you came out of it." Says mom.

"Apparently, the boy you invited to the baseball game was really concerned as well. He insisted that he came with you when you were rushed to the hospital. The staff said that he's visited you every day after school and they've had to practically pry him out of here to get him to leave." Adds dad.

Do I really mean that much to Jayden?

I start hearing the beeping of a monitor, remembering how they use that to check your heart and respiratory rate. I strain to look at the screen and get a mischievous idea to take my mind off of everything and lighten the mood with some humor. I control my breathing speed to make little mountains and hills, holding it to make flatlands with the breathing monitor line on the screen. The doctor is going to freak when he sees all the weirdness going on with the respiratory data when he checks it later, I think to myself while giggling

"I have to go back to work, but I'm so glad that you're okay." Says dad. He exits, leaving me with mom. Mom leaves a while later, and I eventually feel like drifting back off to sleep soon, since I still feel quite lethargic and my recently injured head still hurts like the dickens.

When I roll over on my side, I notice a miniature potted rose bush with pure white roses on it. I've always loved live flowers much more than cut ones, because it's something that I can take care of. I decide to take a closer look, and find a card attached to it. It has a teddy bear drawing on the front, and I can tell that it's handmade. I open it up and read the inside.

I don't know when you'll wake up, but when you do, I hope this helps. Please don't jump in front of cars again, I was worried.

Sincerely,

Jayden

I can pick up a faint energy signature, and I recognize it as the kind I put on stuff when volunteering here. Pointless giving away of energy, eh? Look who's talking. But I'm really glad that he thought of doing this, and I can't wait to tell him that I'm okay. After having seen that, I put both the roses and card back on the bedside table. Waking up for a while had exhausted me and I am ready to give back in to the thick haze of slumber.

Jayden's POV

I'm sitting next to Felicity's bed in the hospital, gazing at her limp, comatose form. She's been out cold for three days, as far as I've seen. Will she remember me when she wakes up? Was the brain damage too much for her? I wish school wasn't in the way of visiting her more often. I hope the energy imprint in the plant and card helped at least a little. Healing magic isn't exactly my forte, but I did the best I could. These past few days, I've felt some strange feeling all the time when thinking about her in this infirmary so helpless. Before this whole incident, even. I can't exactly put my finger on it. I feel like something is missing. It's like there's something trying to manifest in my heart and mind, but something else is blocking it. My best guess, whatever this feeling is, is that the seal on my heart is stopping it. Would that be what love feels like, if I could feel it? That's probably nonsense, I scoff in my head. But whatever is happening to me, it's made my chest hurt like crazy recently.

I look back at Felicity, looking so peaceful even in such critical condition. I wonder what a heart sounds like, beating in someone's chest. Not just the cold, grim and monotonous electronic beeps of a hospital's heart monitor, but a real, unbridled heart. Reckless it may very well be, I quietly pull my chair closer to Felicity, and place my head over her beating heart, ears in position to silently listen. It's like nothing I've ever heard before. It's so soothing to my tired soul, and even though the pain in my own chest is growing and growing, I ignore that pain. I just close my eyes and feel at home to the sound my own chest once made.

There truly is something missing in me, and it's a fact that I can no longer ignore. I don't know if my own heart could even be saved by now, it's been outside of me for so long. Should I risk trying to put it back in? I decide to leave this internal debate to later contemplation.

I just decide to enjoy the present moment, next to Felicity, in a place where I can watch her and I know she's safe. I eventually open my eyes and sit back up, eyes still upon her. Her hair is in her face, so I try to tuck it back behind her ear without disturbing her. Then her face twitches, and she opens her eyes slowly. She's now starting to awake, and I burst with joy.

Felicity's POV

I slowly gain consciousness again and the first thing I see is Jayden's face. It's a wonderful feeling, and I look up at him and break into a bright, huge smile.

"You're here!" I say enthusiastically.

"And you're finally awake." He says with emotion in his voice.

"I saw what you brought me." I inform. "That was very sweet of you."

He puts his hand in mine, which gets me excited. I don't think we've ever held hands before.

"I'm so happy you're back." He tells me. He gives my hand a gentle squeeze, in an almost possessive way, as though he never wants to let go.

**Author's note: By the way, I actually did do that exact same thing mentioned early in the chapter with the respiratory monitor once when I was about to go into surgery. The doctor had a cow XD. Anyway, like it says in the first author's note PLEASE vote if you want a say in the next fanfic, and if you don't have an account just look at the poll on my profile and vote via review.**


	14. Chapter 14: Unseal

**Author's note: Brace yourselves, winter is coming. Onesie season is once again upon us, by Brothers and Sisters! I now present to you the climax, the turning point, where everything changes, the fourteenth chapter of this awesome fanfic! Druumm... Rooooll... Pastaaaaa...(Lol Hetalia reference couldn't resist)**

**Chapter Fourteen: Unseal**

**Jayden's POV:**

It's been two days since Felicity woke up, and it's a Saturday night. I visited her earlier in the day and we played Yahtzee together until I was shooed out by the hospital staff. I am now at home, eating some leftover spaghetti for dinner. Well, more like pushing it around and picking at it with my fork, deep in thought. I still can't manage to shake this feeling that there's something missing from my life. I feel like I'm broken. And the pain in my chest is now too agonizing to bear.

Would it be worth the gamble to unseal my heart now? Would something bad happen like in the story, or am I still able to fix this before it's been too long? The sooner I try, the safer the odds are that my heart isn't too far gone.

But is feeling love really something I would want? I mean, I could always look for a good painkiller to get rid of the chest pain and continue my life as normal. After all, love leads to heartache and grief, which is what caused my suffering in the first place.

But then, I would still feel empty inside. I would still have that numbness in me that would never go away. It's a feeling that I've lived with for all these years and it now grows and grows by the day. I just can't take it anymore.

I guess I've decided, then. I'll take the risk and try to unseal my heart. Good thing it's a Saturday night, waning crescent, and in the fall season. It's the perfect time for undoing such a spell.

I take my plate of spaghetti, hurriedly put plastic wrap over it, shove it into the freezer for later, then go over to my room. I reach under my bed to get my shoebox of magic supplies. My safest bet would probably be a full-scale, ritual-type thing rather than something spur-of-the-moment and unprepared. I find the pickle jar that contains my heart suspended in liquid. The crystal jar in the old story would've been out of my budget range. I also look at what I've got in my supplies, grab some things, and head down to the basement.

The basement is an unfinished part of the house, with some pretty good open space, great for conducting rituals. I start by casting a circle as wide as I am tall and marking it with white chalk; a standard procedure. It sets a boundary where outside forces can't affect the outcome of the spell. I start arranging all the runes in proper order and put the representations of the four elements in their respective places along the edge of the circle.

After everything is in place and prepared, I then sit down on the cold, hard concrete floor in the center of the circle. I take off my shirt and set it aside. I pull the pickle jar with my heart in it closer to me. Luckily, it doesn't look too hideously hairy, it's about as much as the hair on my arm. Marker in hand, I concentrate and draw the same complicated symbol over where my heart would've been that I drew six years ago, except upside down, to reverse the spell.

This is it. The moment of truth. The moment everything will change. For better or for worse, nothing will be the same.

I put my hand over the symbol on my chest, take a deep breath, concentrate on my intent, and chant the words to hopefully put my heart back in. The runes on the ground all light up, and I feel an excruciating pain stronger than any pain I've felt in my life. There's a wind swirling around within the circle, and I let out a scream.

I clutch my chest harder, as I can feel something being plunked inside it. All the memories from my childhood, all the things I should've felt, the emotions that make me human come rushing back to me all at once in a way that is overwhelming.

My memories of being with Felicity then rise to the surface, and I realize they are different. For the first time in years, I feel what it is like to love. My hypothesis was correct, then. The emotion that was missing, and all the odd things I thought about Felicity, was really love all along. The cyclone of wind within the circle begins to slow down, and the runes around me start to dim back to normal. I understand so much more now. I understand what holds people together. I understand what it means to be whole. And what it means to live. These feelings seem so new to me that I don't know how to handle them, and I can feel myself beginning to tear up.

All the energy I used up to unseal my heart is starting to take its toll, and I collapse in exhaustion.

**Author's note: And there you have it! I have midterms coming up, so I'll have to do lots of extra studying until they're over. In other news, I tried lots of other ways to make shipping fan art to go along with this fanfic, but it still sucked. I think I'll just try sticking to good old-fashioned pencil and paper. Anyway, I look forward to coming up with the chapters ahead and I hope you'll tune in next time! **


	15. Chapter 15: Confrontation

**Author's note: My midterms are officially over! After a whole week of being holed up in my room after school and on weekends obsessively studying, I hath slain the academic dragon and made it out not only alive, but with good enough grades to preserve my honor! Here is the next part of this blossoming story, and as always I hope you like it :)**

**Chapter Fifteen: Confrontation**

**Felicity's POV:**

Today is the day. I am now going to be checked out of the hospital and finally get to go back to school. I don't recall a time when I wanted to go back to school so badly. To be bluntly honest with myself, and since there's no point hiding the truth from myself anymore, it's because Jayden will be there. I'll get to see him eight hours a day five days a week minimum again, and that is the light at the end of the tunnel for me.

"Hey squirt, where's your boyfriend?" Nora comments as I pass by her, snapping me out of my thoughts and back into the real world.

I start to feel cheeks grow hot as I avert my gaze and keep walking. The nurse accompanying me turns toward Nora and silently chastises her. Serves her right, I think.

When I get to the lobby of the hospital, my parents are waiting to greet me and drive me home. My dad gives me a big, tight bear-hug and it makes me happy for him greet me like this. It feels just like the good old days, when Cassie was still alive and my parents didn't both drown their sorrows in work to dull the pain.

After being taken home, I carefully place the potted rose on my bedroom windowsill to happily sit next to the other plants. I prop the card upright on my nightstand after taking another reminiscing look at it, and then gleefully flop onto my bed like those days when I come home from school exhausted, face down with my limbs sprawled out randomly.

It feels so, so good to be back in my own bed, in my own familiar room, and in my own home. Hospitals smell weird. Not to mention the occasional ghost of someone that died in the hospital flying through your room and only visible to the trained eye.

At least one of said ghosts I saw was a former patient and friend that I used to know when volunteering. He was a little boy who died young of cancer. I would always stop by his room and keep him company when the work was all done back when he was among the living. I was crushed when he died. We got to talk again for the first time in a long while, which was nice. I wonder just how weird it would seem to the average person for someone to have conversations with dead people like it's nothing unusual. What's weird to me is that I generally feel less shy and awkward around ghosts than living people. I've thought of ways I could try contacting my departed sister, but I still haven't gotten around to it yet.

I know that it's Sunday, but for once I think I'll just rest on the Lord's day like the religious nuts that are my neighbors try to cram down my throat. After all, I just got back from literally being a patient at the hospital for nearly a week, so I don't think the doctors would let me go back immediately afterward to work.

I hear a knock on the front door, and immediately spring up and rush to answer it. I open the door and see Jayden standing in the doorway looking nervous.

"I, um.. I need you to come with me! D-Don't ask why, but I just need to talk to you!" He stutters quickly before I even have a chance to greet him first. I've never seen him this frantic before. He's normally so calm and collected.

"Okay, sure." I reply.

I first go and tell my parents that I'm leaving for a bit and that Jayden will be with me. I then come back to the door and leave with him, grabbing my jacket on the way out. It's a comfy red fleece jacket that's a size bigger than me with the sleeves extending a little ways past my fingertips, just the way I like it. It serves its purpose well in the biting cold.

We walk to the park and he leads me to this one secluded bench that is surrounded by trees. He sits down, and gestures for me to do the same. There is a few minutes of silence. I wonder where this is going. I turn to face Jayden, but he is quiet. He is also the most nervous-looking I have ever seen him.

"I guess I should get to the point, shouldn't I? Very well, then." He begins with. "Felicity, there's something that happened yesterday."

"What happened?" I inquire. The anticipation builds as my mind starts thinking of possible things that could've been the case.

"I decided to unseal my heart. And.. I realized something..."

Could this really be happening?! Am I dreaming? Does this mean what I think it means?

"What did you realize?" My heart and mind are frantically going a million miles a minute and time stands still in this moment that may change everything. Jayden turns to face me with as much courage as he can probably muster as our eyes meet, dark gazing into beautiful gold and vice versa.

"That I love you." He finishes. He then leans in, and before I know it our lips meet for the first time. This time it's for real, it's not a lonesome fantasy or an indirect hand kiss for the crowd, but a real, genuine one. A passionate one. The first one I've ever had. I kiss back, and it seems like our lips lock forever; the bitterly cold park contradicting the warmth of him against me.

After what seems like a while, we both reluctantly pull away blushing.

"Does this mean you love me too?" He asks, eyes wide.

"Yes, I do love you." I reply, looking at him and saying the words I've wanted to say for so long.

**Author's note: Yaaaay the confession scene! It was one of the hardest to write but also my favorite! Happy holidays to all! Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Yule, or whatever you're looking forward to this season! Have a great time and I will write again after enjoying some time with family. Byeeee! **


	16. Chapter 16: No Thorns

**Author's note: Is it just me or does anyone else feel like they don't want the new year to happen because it means you're getting older and older? Every New Year's Day, a little part of me is always screaming "Time, just SLOW DOWN DAMMIT! QUIT BEING SUCH A BULLET TRAIN!" Anyway, at least I've accumulated a pretty suitable candy stash from the holidays to keep me going. Which I will probably completely consume in about a week tops XD. **

**Chapter Sixteen: No Thorns**

It's been almost a week since that fateful Sunday that changed everything. Jayden and I have officially started dating and it's something that's hard to believe is even happening. School has been so much better. We haven't told anyone at school about us yet, but we've been holding hands in the hallways at times while people give interested looks in our direction. Life has been like I'm living a dream that I may wake up from at any moment, but I never want to. We haven't kissed since the first time, and it's now Saturday. Of course, I had to let my parents know that I was dating Jayden because they're likely to eventually find out anyway and then I'd be in trouble for not telling them. They seemed okay with it after formally meeting him on Tuesday.

I invited him over to my house today to help me with something. The roses that he gave me in the hospital were starting to wilt no matter what I did and I read online that potted roses you buy at the store will wither away and die if you don't transplant them soon after their purchase. So, I decided to give it some ground to live in and I thought it would be a good activity for Jayden and I to do together. He did give me the plant in the first place, after all.

He arrives bright and early and I already have the shovel out and ready. We both venture into the backyard and start digging out grass in the pre-planned area.

"Oh you never hit your mother with a shovel. It leaves a dull impression on her mind!" I loudly sing whilst holding the shovel. Jayden bursts out laughing and I do too.

It is very cold outside now, which is expected since it is approaching winter. It takes quite a bit of effort from the both of us to get the bush properly situated and watered in. After all the work is done, I go and get us some hot cocoa for us to to cool off. Or warm up, I guess?

Regardless, I went the extra mile and made my specialty, what I call ridicucocoa. It's ridiculously chocolatey because I stir loads of dark chocolate chips in while it's still hot. I also use hot milk instead of just adding water because it makes it creamier and tastier. I then pile on the marshmallows for a finishing touch.

We sit on the lawn in front of the little rose bush to admire it. It still looks droopy, but will hopefully soon grow to be big and vigorous with lots of flowers.

"Why the heck would a store be able to keep a rose bush alive long enough to sell it, but then it starts dying? It makes absolutely no sense!" Jayden states.

"Heck if I know. Maybe that way the customer hopefully buys another one to replace it." I guess. I take another sip of my hot cocoa and settle it down next to me. "Or maybe..." I trail off with a smirk.

"Maybe what?" Jayden asks.

"Or maybe because of alieeens!" I shout and wave my arms in exaggeration, then tumble backward onto the soft, emerald green grass giggling.

Jayden then leans over me with a questioning look, eyebrows furrowed and his beautiful blonde hair draping downward.

"You are a weirdo, you know that?" He holds out his hand to help me up and I take it, returning back to a sitting position immediately afterward. We unintentionally draw closer and closer; until our faces are close enough for me to notice that his eyes are two different colors; surrounding the pupil there's much more of a greenish hue than the gold of the rest of the eye.

"And you're my little weirdo." Jayden finishes with, and we kiss for the second time. Out here in the backyard, the two of us in the algid late fall with some hot cocoa and we're kissing. What could be a more perfect way to spend the day?

I feel him putting his hand on the back of my head, wringing his fingers through my hair gently. I want to hold onto this blissful moment forever.

We pull away slowly, and he gazes into my eyes lovingly, a descriptor I would've never thought could be applied to him before last week's incident.

"You sure do drive me crazy, you know that?" He smiles. This time, it's a genuine, honest-to-God smile that sends the good kind of shivers down my spine.

"Hang on a sec, hold your face right where it is! Don't move until I say so." I tell Jayden, hurriedly prying my phone from my jean pocket and opening up the camera function on it.

"Say cheese." I excitedly take the picture and he gives a questioning look afterwards.

**Author's note: And I'll wrap it up there for now. Please please please please PLEASE check out my poll on my profile to vote for the next story's plot if you can find the time to do so! I can't start writing another paranormal romance story without the input from the readers' votes on said poll, so it may be in your best interest if you want more stories like this one. It literally has no votes yet. Remember that even if you don't have an account you can still look at the choices and write your answer in a review which does not require an account. Anyway, happy new year to everyone and I'll see you all in 2016**


	17. Chapter 17: Christmas Chaos

**Author's note: I'm not dead! I'm so so very sorry about how long it's been and I feel super guilty for making you wait this long. Also, I'm starting to get a bit confused myself on the timeline of this story, so I'm just gonna time skip over to Christmas break. I thought that it would make for an interesting chapter. Here you go! **

**Chapter Sixteen: Christmas Chaos**

"You packed yet?" I hear my dad yell from downstairs.

"Almost!" I answer him with. I turn around and find that the cat is perched atop my open suitcase, arms folded inward in the way cats lay that makes them look like a furry loaf of bread with an adorable kitty face. My feline companion looks up with a rebellious-looking squint, as though she's saying, "Just try to get me off of this, I dare you. See what happens."

"Fine, you win for now!" I huff in defeat.

Five minutes later I am fully packed and out the door with the rest of my family.

I'm able to occupy myself in the car with just a book and staring out the window for a good long while.

Eventually I start to think about Jayden. I can't believe we've really started dating. If I traveled back in time to just a few short months ago to tell my past self this information, I wouldn't believe myself. It really feels too good to be true. He's brought out a side of me that I've never thought imaginable. I've always been the wallflower, even in groups of people I knew very well. But I feel secure and sure of myself when he's around, as if I'm brave enough to conquer the world. I really do hope our relationship lasts. I wonder what he's up to right now. I let my mind wander to our last conversation earlier in the week.

"It's ugly sweater time again."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone's going to wear their ugliest sweaters on purpose, and there's a contest for whose sweater is ugliest. I'm gonna win for sure!"

He had stated it with such confidence. I hope he wins. Knowing my family, there will probably be a cake brought out at some point saying 'Happy Birthday Jesus' like there is every year. Cake is awesome, so I'm fond of that tradition.

After dark, I pick up my book and turn on my flashlight to read again. I'm halfway through the first volume of the Artemis Fowl series, and it's a great book so far. I read for a time and then put down the book and flick off my flashlight again. I feel like taking a nap, so I do. I lean towards the window, head rested on my arm, as I gaze out of the window at beautiful country landscape. I then slowly drift asleep.

I wake up from a dream about if we had LEPrecons for our special forces soldiers and that everyone strapped nuclear-powered wings to their backs in lieu of driving cars. I guess that book carried over to my dreams. After a total of three hours, we finally arrive. It is below freezing, but sadly not snowing. I haul my duffel bag from the trunk of our buggy and follow my parents into grandma's house.

Just as expected, I am greeted by an army of spastic snot-encrusted cousins. The tallest of them barely reach my stomach in height. Just think about kittens and remember to drench yourself in hand sanitizer later. After the adults have to pry them off of me, I am able to reunite with the one cousin that probably won't drive me to drink since she's only a year younger than me.

"Yay you're here!" Cousin Morgan rejoices and hugs me.

"How's life been?" I ask.

"School, chores, karate, siblings, coven, the usual." She says. Like me, she's also a witch. Unlike me, she joined a coven consisting of school friends that meet in secret. I've always preferred being a solitary witch, but to each his own. I'm happy that she's happy.

Sadly, some of the people in her coven do more than an ideal amount of dabbling in black magic. Not a good influence on her. Every self-respecting witch has heard of the threefold law. It's the natural law that whatever spell you cast returns to you with three times the strength. If you send out a beneficial spell to someone, such as healing or financial success, it will also boomerang back to you threefold. If you curse someone, however, that curse is going to triple bite you back in the ass. It may not be immediately, but someday you'll pay the price. And if you do black magic regularly, all that nasty karma accumulates like credit card debt that can ruin you eventually.

This is why most people in the magical community are smart enough to stay away from that kind of stuff. And most of those who don't only try it once or twice, immediately regret it, and never do it again. The rest, however, get power-mad. These people know the consequences of their actions, but are too tempted by the control over others that black magic gives them, and it consumes them. They become addicted to the prospect of getting their sick revenge on others.

The next day was Christmas. After presents, we all played a ton of board games, watched TV, and ate together. Also, just as expected, happy birthday Jesus and sorry we stole your cake. It was delicious.

"I'm going for a walk." Morgan announces that evening.

"Okay, just don't stay out after dark!" Aunt Martha shouts from the kitchen.

Morgan leaves and I peer out the window in time to see her walking right into the forest near the house. That's strange. That's very strange. That's very scarily strange. Morgan is a big city girl, born and bred. You couldn't make her go into a place so natural and uncultivated if you held a gun to her head yelling at her to do so.

Curious, I follow her into the forest, careful not to be seen. I tail her deeper and deeper in it, until she finally stops at a clearing. I find a thick tree to conceal myself behind and peer at her from there.

I see her take out a knife. I recognize it as her athame, which she's showed to me before. She then draws a pentagram the dirt. What is she doing? Maybe she just wanted to do an improvised ritual and needed privacy? Well, it's pretty reckless of her to not form any kind of protective circle or barrier first. But, wait a second, is that star pointing upside-down?! Dear Goddess, please tell me she's not about to do what I think she is!

My eyes widen as they witness her cutting her hand with its sharp edge so that she was bleeding profusely.

"Demon Mephistopheles, I summon thee to do my bidding! Come into this world, into my body, and together we shall rule it!" She bellows as her blood hits the ground. Suddenly, I feel the earth beneath me shake and change its feeling beneath my feet as all the energy drains from it into the point of focus, and a dark cloud of energy swirls within the clearing.

I immediately snap into my "Oh Shit" mode at that point. I barge into the clearing without thinking. I grab my dear younger cousin by the shoulders and shake her.

"What are you doing, Morgan?! Snap out of it, I'm taking you home!" I cry out, hoping to knock some sense into her. But by then it's too late. She slowly looks up at me to reveal totally white eyes and a full-out chaotic evil grin. She's been possessed, I didn't make it in time! What do I do, what do I do?! Just then, "she" speaks up.

"It's too late, your precious cousin is mine now." The demon proclaims, cackling.

There's only one thing I know how to do that could save her. It's risky, but I have to try. I take my wand from my hair and stand up. I turn and walk until I'm about five feet away.

"What are you doing, child?" Mephistopheles calls. "Don't do anything reckless. On second thought, go ahead. Then I'll have two bodies and souls at my disposal." He taunts.

I Ignore those remarks. I cannot let fear control me, or else this whole thing will fail. I cast my most powerful improvised protection spell, the mirror bubble. It's a shield that surrounds me and deflects any outside forces without my permission to enter. I can no longer hear anything the demon says. I enter a deep trance and leave my body. This basically the makes me a living ghost until I return to my body. Also leaving me pretty vulnerable, which is why I have the mirror bubble. I see the pitch black demonic energy inside of Morgan's body, boiling over with malice. Morgan's soul is almost consumed with darkness, a pink speck at the core amid a sea of black remains.

Here goes nothing. I dive in, mustering up all my strength and willpower to overcome the ancient dark spirit's overpowering energy.

"Foolish girl, you cannot defeat me." Mephistopheles chuckles from inside.

"I WILL defeat you and I WILL get my cousin back, you son of a bitch!" I scream back in retaliation. With all my might, I shine a beacon of light and force the demon out of Morgan for good. It's quite a struggle, but in the end, he leaves.

As I feel the last of the dark energy vanishing and Morgan's soul grows back to take up full occupation of her body, I return to my own body as well. Exhausted, I take down the mirror shield and catch my breath. Morgan slowly wakes up.

"What happened?" She asks sluggishly, clutching her head. "My head hurts."

"You're back!" I tackle-hug her in one swift motion. "Don't EVER. TRY. Summoning a demon. AGAIN, you hear me?" I add.

Needless to say, I'll be keeping more of an eye on my cousin from now on.

**Author's Note: Le Fin! By the way, I do not own the Artemis Fowl series. All rights go to the author, blah blah blah. If that guy somehow has the time to read my fanfic, then I love your work! As always, PLEASE vote in the poll, write a review, favorite, etc. Lack of feedback is my biggest writing pet peeve because I work hard to bring this story to you all. This story is my brain-child to behold, and I absolutely love any form of support or input you can give me on how I am raising said brain-child. Have an awesome week everyone and tune in next time!**


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